Japan Enters Middle-East Defense Market with NEC LR02T Long-Range Air Defense Radar.

Japan presented a national pavilion for the first time at World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, highlighting its push to expand defense industry ties in the Middle East, with NEC Corporation featuring its NEC LR 02T long-range air defense radar. The move signals Tokyo’s growing focus on defense exports and strategic partnerships in a region investing heavily in integrated air and missile defense.

At the World Defense Show 2026, Japan unveiled a national pavilion for the first time, signaling a stronger push into the Middle East defense market. Among the featured companies, NEC Corporation presented its NEC LR 02T long-range, rapidly deployable air defense radar, designed for surveillance and air defense operations in remote or fast-moving environments. Japanese officials and company representatives framed the appearance as part of a broader effort to expand defense exports and deepen industrial ties with regional partners investing heavily in integrated air and missile defense.
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The radar operates in S-band, a frequency commonly used for medium- and long-range air surveillance due to its balance between range performance and weather resistance (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The NEC-LR-02T is part of NEC’s air surveillance systems portfolio and is based on a three-dimensional Active Phased Array radar technology. The selected architecture is intended to combine mobility, rapid installation, and long-range detection capability. According to the manufacturer, the system can be transported on two medium-sized trucks or carried by a single cargo aircraft, and installed by a team of six technicians in approximately thirty minutes. This configuration allows deployment at temporary or forward sites, as well as integration into existing defense frameworks.

The radar operates in S-band, a frequency commonly used for medium- and long-range air surveillance due to its balance between range performance and weather resistance. It provides 360-degree azimuth coverage and elevation above 20 degrees. The stated detection range reaches 350 kilometers against a fighter-sized target. The cylindrical electronically scanned antenna, referred to as e-SCAN, ensures full coverage without mechanical moving parts, a design choice intended to reduce wear and improve operational availability.

The manufacturer indicates a range accuracy of less than or equal to 0.5 nautical mile, an azimuth accuracy of less than or equal to 0.5 degree, and an altitude accuracy of less than or equal to 2,500 feet for a target located at 100 nautical miles. The integration of gallium nitride, or GaN, power amplifiers and Digital Beam Forming techniques enables refined emission lobe management, improved amplitude control, and optimized power consumption. These characteristics are generally sought to enhance target discrimination in saturated air environments.

The NEC-LR-02T is designed to operate under extended environmental conditions, with a temperature range between minus 40 and plus 50 degrees Celsius and relative humidity levels of up to 95 percent. Required power supply is AC 120 or 208 volts with a capacity of 90 kVA. The system can operate autonomously at a remote site or be integrated into a fixed base architecture. Its open interface facilitates interoperability with existing command and control systems, a key requirement for integration into national or multinational air defense networks.

The manufacturer states that the radar is optimized for rapid positioning and commissioning, with a high level of redundancy and a fault-tolerant architecture. The solution includes full remote supervision and control functions, as well as a turnkey configuration. NEC emphasizes operational availability and maintainability suited to field deployment constraints.

The presentation of the NEC-LR-02T in Riyadh takes place amid a gradual revision of Japan’s arms export doctrine. Historically governed by restrictive post-war principles, defense equipment exports have been subject to progressive adjustments by Tokyo, which has expanded the categories of systems authorized for sale while maintaining a mandatory government licensing regime. This evolution reflects a more constrained security environment in the Indo-Pacific and a policy objective to sustain the national industrial base through external markets.

The presence of a Japanese national pavilion at the World Defense Show for the first time symbolizes this strategic shift, indicating a more visible and coordinated promotion of Japanese defense industry capabilities abroad. Through NEC and its mobile long-range radar system, Japan signals a renewed intention to participate in the global defense market within a regulatory framework that remains tightly controlled but increasingly open.